1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to authenticating a mobile device using location information associated with the device.
2. Description of Related Art
In order for a server to provide a mobile device with resources such as access to a locally stored document or the Internet, the server usually requires the device to be authenticated. This typically takes the form of the user of the device entering a username and password in response to an authentication challenge from the server, following a request for resources by the mobile device. These authentication signals are often encrypted when provided over a wireless channel for additional security.
However with the increasing use of wireless devices in gaining access to central system resources such as work or corporate documents and communications, it has become burdensome for the user to continually enter their password and user name each time access for some application is required. Furthermore, the user interface on many mobile devices is limited, making the authentication process time consuming and difficult for the user. This problem may be exacerbated where the level of authentication required is increased and the user is asked for more credentials such as date of birth and mother's maiden name.
One solution to this problem is using a location based authentication mechanism. This relies on the idea that if the mobile device is in a restricted area, eg the work place, then the device is unlikely to have been stolen and normal authentication requirements can be relaxed. If however the device is away from the office, for example at the user's home, then the usual username and password authentication is required. Such an arrangement is described in WO04/095857; however this arrangement requires complex additional systems to be installed in the mobile device, for example GPS positioning, adaptive antenna arrays and/or multi-path fingerprinting in order to confirm the mobile's location within the office building or other “low authentication requirements” area. Such additional systems are expensive, and often not available on standard or low cost mobile devices.
United States Patent Application number US2004/0190718 entitled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LOCATION BASED WIRELESS CLIENT AUTHENTICATION” describes a method in which once an authentication/access request from a wireless client desiring access to a wireless network is received, a spatial location of the client is identified, and compliance with the authentication/access request is performed according to the identified spatial location of the device. This method requires a physical location being determined for the wireless client device or for some other determination to be made that the client is within the bounds of a predefined wireless network boundary.
International Patent Application number WO01/28272 entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FINDING THE POSITION OF MOBILE TERMINALS” relates to a triangulation type method of locating a mobile terminal based on the mobile terminal measuring the field strengths of adjacent base stations and passing these on to a position-finding server.
International Patent Application number WO 02/093502 entitled “REMOTELY GRANTING ACCESS TO A SMART ENVIRONMENT” describes a system in which a terminal is provided with a unique identification code which is wirelessly transmitted and received by other appliances and terminals. When an appliance receives a transmitted unique identification code, the receiving appliance queries a database to determine if the terminal is authorized to control the appliance based on authorization information stored in the database. Also described is a method of a remote owner authorizing a local user to control the appliances.